On a Sunday rainy June afternoon, Falling Down on The Random set out to have a conversation with an upcoming singer by the name of Danielle Cardona, who is a singer/songwriter based in Brooklyn and set to release her upcoming EP "Dust To Dust" and a release party at NuBlu on June 12.
What inspired you to get into music
After studying business and fashion for four years at FIT, and working in the fashion industry for a few years, I realized that I had pursued and completed my “plan B” without every actually giving my “Plan A” (My passion) a go. While I thrived in the fashion industry, and was on my way to having a successful career in that field, something was missing. I liked what I was doing, but I guess I just felt that I wasn’t using my whole self. I knew the first time I ever set foot in a studio, and recorded my first song, that music; writing, recording, rehearsing, performing live, and even putting the whole show together, was what I was meant to do. With everything that goes into this, I feel I am using my whole self and feel fulfilled.
How long have you been a performer?
In one way or another, I have been performing since I was a kid. As a child I was a ballet dancer into my teens, I participated in band, jazz band, orchestra and chorus, as well as musical theater through middle school and high school, basically looking for any opportunity to perform music and be on a stage. I stopped abruptly in college to go to school for business, but found my way back and started my first band shortly after college.
What type of influence would you want to impact on your listeners?
As a performer, music, and fashion icon Cher has had a huge influence on me. Other Iconic “divas” of equal importance to me include Tina Turner, Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Selena, Shakira and Madonna. What they all have in common is their “go big or go home” mentality, which I also have. Nothing they produce is half-assed, they give everything-visually as much as musically, and, they have produced multiple genres of music over the span of their careers that somehow all fall under the umbrella of “Pop” (Meaning Popular).
What I hope to inspire in people is to do the same as these artists-to go big and go all out. Whether it be in music like me, or some other dream. I believe if people went balls out and really followed their hearts, everyone might be a little happier with themselves, and be a little kinder to others.
What was it like transitioning from your previous project Lexelle to your solo effort?
I had a great deal of support from friends and fellow musicians when I switched from being “the singer from Lexelle” to “Danielle Cardona.” Between getting a group of musicians together to create a new band, and rebranding myself as a solo artist, writing new songs, and being the sole investor in the project, it was a lot of work, but very rewarding. I am so grateful to my band, (Ricardo Pantoja, Martin Luque, and Jeff Swazst) for their talent, enthusiasm and hard work. I am especially grateful to Ricardo, who was so generous with his time in helping me get organized initially, and with the use of his studio for rehearsals. (152 Studio)
What is it like collaborating with other artist versus as compared to working on your own?
I still collaborate with many different producers/composers to write songs. probably more now, than I did when I had my other band. I write all the lyrics, and have a great amount of involvement in the production. The only real difference between “going solo” and “being in a band” is branding and the workload. Being an unsigned solo artist in NYC means you do the work of 20 people on top of being an artist. Having even one other person, as I did with Lexelle means having an extra hand.
What challenges have you encountered as an independent artist?
I do my best to maintain a positive attitude, but the path to becoming a success in music isn’t that of a person in finance, law, medicine, or anything “normal.” There is double the headahce, with a much slimmer chance of success. The path isn’t clear, and it’s different for each person. For me, often my biggest challenge is figuring out what to do next after I complete something big.
Do you work with outside producers?
I work with a few different people, and I am always looking for new people to collaborate with.
Justin Mathews co-wrote Song For The Ladies, and Filler Man, and he mixed and mastered most of the mini-album.
Demetra co-wrote and produced Dust to Dust the title track,
Alex Simon Co-wrote Rebound and Saturday Night
Keith Patchel composed the music for Haus of Disco, which was later mixed by Richard James and Justin Mathews
New York City has a rich landscape of underground artists, your style and brand, how do you see your contribution to it?
I hope I have inspired artists to come together and support one another. I have made my best effort to do that through the various events I have produced, and even through my own shows. Whenever a venue approaches me to play, I always try to bring along at least one band that I know and like. It’s better for me, better for the venue, and better for the other band if the artists are supporting one another.
You just just finished working on your Ep "dust to dust" and the presale is on iTunes, how long you been working on it and can you tell us how it came about and the process of it?
It took a little over a year to finish dust to dust. It was a long process, because this was my first attempt solo-and I organized and financed the whole thing without any outside help. Once I started regularly performing with a band, the songs that I was writing started to take on a heavier sound-more like the way my guys interpret my songs live, and so I decided to release a mini-album instead of a full length.
Which song are you most proud of?
I am the most proud of Dust to Dust and Filler Man. Dust to Dust because it was the first song I released as a solo artist, co-written with Demetra, who composed and produced the music. I learned a lot in the process of making that song, and found my voice. Filler Man, because it is a song that has taken me ten years to actually complete, it has a lot of meaning to me. The lyrics were the first I had ever written, but it took this many years to actually find a musical direction for the song. Now that I have, I feel it is one of my best.
What is your most random moment you've had in NYC ?
With respect to this conversation-the most random moments are when I run into a fellow artists outside the realm of what we do; at their day-job, especially when their day job is something totally unexpected, or in a neighborhood I wouldn’t expect to find them.
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little clip of Danielle Cardona singing "Dust to Dust"
Special shout out to Rachel Mary Cox and Ricardo Pantoja
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